title: Reduction of total knee replacement wear with vitamin E blended highly cross-linked ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.
abstract: Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a common bearing component in total knee replacement (TKR) implants, and its susceptibility to wear continues to be the long-term limiting factor in the life of these implants. This study hypothesized that in TKR systems, a highly cross-linked (HXL) UHMWPE blended with vitamin E will result in reduced wear as compared to a direct compression-moulded (DCM) UHMWPE. A wear simulation study was conducted using an asymmetric lateral pivoting '3D Knee' design to compare the two inserts. The highly cross-linked UHMWPE was aged prior to the testing and force-controlled wear testing was carried out for 5 million cycles using a load-controlled ISO-14243 standard at a frequency of 1 Hz on both groups. Gravimetric measurements of DCM UHMWPE (4.4 +/- 3.0 mg/million cycles) and HXL UHMWPE with vitamin E (1.9 +/- 1.9 mg/million cycles) showed significant statistical differences (p < 0.01) between the wear rates. Wear modes and surface roughness for both groups revealed no significant dissimilarities.
authors.affiliation: Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaidya
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vinciguerra
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: DesJardins
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007720:Knee Prosthesis; D008422:Materials Testing; D011095:Polyethylenes; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D014810:Vitamin E
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D011095:Polyethylenes; C111601:ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene; D014810:Vitamin E